Europe

LONDON (AP) — The new American secretary of defense, Mark Esper, is cautioning European allies to be wary of China’s growing global influence.

In a speech to a British think tank on Friday, Esper said countries that grow too dependent on Chinese investment and trade become susceptible to coercion and retribution when they cross Beijing.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Low-cost fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB says it is suspending leather purchases from Brazil in response to the Amazon fires.

The Stockholm-based group says “a temporary ban on leather from Brazil” was linked to “the severe fires in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest and the connections to cattle production.”

H&M said Friday that the ban will remain in place “until there are credible assurances ... that the leather does not contribute to environmental harm in the Amazon.”

VLADIVOSTOK, Sept 6 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has described his participation in the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) here as very fruitful, bringing on closer cooperation with countries located in the Far East, especially Russia.

Attending the forum for the first time at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dr Mahathir said he was delighted and impressed with the initiatives taken by Putin to develop Russia’ eastern provinces.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum, has offered US$ 1 billion line of credit for the development of the Far East.

“The relation of India and the Far East is not new but ages old. India is the first country which opened its consulate in Vladivostok. Even during Soviet Russia when there were restrictions on other foreigners, Vladivostok was open for Indians,” PM Modi said.

LONDON, Sep 05 (APP): Pakistan High Commissioner to United Kingdom (UK), Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, has said that the tragic human rights situation and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK), since August 5, 2019, in particular, and for the past seven decades Indian governments had been perpetrating grave human rights’ violations in the occupied territory unabatedly with impunity.

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/: The situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program should be resolved on the basis of the initiative put forward by France, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/: The Russian state-owned JSC United Engine Corporation (a Rostec subsidiary) has confirmed that one of its employees was detained. His interests will be defended, the corporation’s press service told reporters on Thursday.

"We confirm that our employee was detained overseas," the corporation said, adding that the detainee is not involved in any unlawful activity.

"The corporation will do everything possible to protect his interests," the press service stressed.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/: Washington has not addressed Tokyo with proposals for deploying US missile systems in Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday.

"As far as US missile systems in Japan are concerned, Japan has not received any proposals for their deployment," he said.

Abe stated that "Japan’s current missile defense system is not governed by the United States" and the new systems being purchased from the US manufacturers, Aegis Ashore, "will be controlled by Japan."

VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/: Russia was ready to cooperate with the United States in the production of specific components for its MC-21 jet but eventually decided to build the aircraft completely on its own, President Vladimir Putin said, speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 5. /TASS/: India has decided to allocate a $1 bln credit line to the Russian Federation for the development of the Far East, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced at a plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF-2019) on Thursday.

"India will provide a $1 bln credit line. This is an unprecedented case, this is our launching pad in the Far East. The Government of India is very active in this region," he said.